Butterfly Wings
by Mittens no Hikari
Summary: [Oneshot] Téa watches a struggling butterfly and begins to wonder if she and her friends will be able to make it through the winds of hard times, or if they're simply too fragile, flying on butterfly wings.


Hi!

*sees people staring at her*

I know, I know. I've been trying to come up with a second romance, but this little thing's been taking over my mind. Just a philosophical little one-shot to cure writer's block.

This is not bashing anyone. I realize Téa is not the most popular character. However, if you dislike her, please don't let that influence your thoughts about my writing. I personally do not have anything against Téa, so don't flame me just 'cause I wrote about her without killing her. Pwease? ^_^

Disclaimer: Not mine. 'Nuff said.

Read and enjoy! (I hope... ^_^;;)

**"Butterfly Wings"**

Téa sighed as she dipped her rag into the bucket of murky water. A few lone soap bubbles floated on top as she swished the cloth around, trying not to wrinkle her nose in disgust at the film of dirt covering the water.

"You'd think they could keep this place cleaner..." she murmured, wringing out the rag and taking to scrubbing yet another of the desks.

_Quit complaining, Téa! You know very well that you're lucky to have this opportunity. Work Study lowers your tuition enough to pay for ballet! So quit complaining and just do it!_

Téa sighed in frustration and threw the rag onto the desk, effectively covering a stubborn ink spot for the time being. _Work Study. Why don't they just call it 'Work' or something? Heck if I'm getting any studying done._

Téa sat down in one of the chairs, scooting it over with a loud screech so she could look out the window. She sighed again, resting her chin in her hands. Leaves, turning gold and orange and crimson, fluttered to the ground periodically. It looked warm enough outside, but the trees were a dead giveaway. Autumn was coming.

Téa's blue eyes suddenly landed on a flash of orange against the darkness of the blacktop. Curious, she squinted to see what it was.

It was a monarch butterfly, whirling and fluttering wildly in the October breeze. The airstream was making it difficult for the little insect to stay airborne- it wasn't a hurricane wind, but for a butterfly, it wasn't exactly gentle either. It beat its orange and black wings rapidly as it gained more height, only to veer towards the ground when a wind blew past.

Téa found herself holding her breath as the butterfly tumbled wildly, end over end, during a particularly harsh freak gust of wind. She shook her head as she realized she was cheering silently for the little insect.

_I know I'm having problems when I begin to root for a butterfly,_ she thought wryly. _I really should get back to work, so I can get out of here before dinnertime._ But for some reason, she didn't. She stayed in the chair, watching the butterfly with an intense fascination.

_Maybe the reason I'm cheering so hard for it is because it's kind of like me,_ she thought idly. _I feel like my dream is on butterfly wings right now. I want so bad to become a dancer, but who knows if I can? Maybe the wind is too hard. Maybe I'll just get blown even further back than I started. Then where will I be?_

Téa's blue eyes widened. _I think all of us are kind of flying like that butterfly right now,_ she realized. _All of us have somewhere we have to get, but our wings are so fragile. We're flying high now, but who knows if we'll ever get where we have to? We might just get pounded into the ground._

_Tristan. I know he's been really quiet lately. He may not say anything, but I can tell he's trying to get some confidence in himself. He's as worried as I am. He knows how it is to feel helpless. He almost lost Yugi in that warehouse fire, and then Yugi_ and _Joey nearly drowned, and he couldn't do anything. Tristan's the kind of guy who wants to be able to watch out for people. I hope he doesn't lose that._

Téa shivered at the memory of seeing Yugi and Joey disappear into that cold water, and at the thoughts that had flashed through her mind. That she may never see them again.

_And Joey, too!_ she realized. _Joey's always so full of talk, always saying how he's going to be Battle City champion. But I think right now, that's not what he's really feeling. His dream of becoming champion is as fragile as mine of becoming a ballerina. He talks big to hide it, but he's really afraid, I think. What'll happen if he loses? Everything he's been working toward will seem really out of reach._

_Bakura. He's afraid too. Afraid of the Spirit of his Millennium Ring. He's got a good reason, though. His Spirit is nothing like the Spirit of the Puzzle. How would I feel to have an evil tomb robber from 5000 years ago sharing my body with me? And if he makes one wrong move, or fails to stop that spirit just once, everything he cares about could be destroyed. Just like one big gust of wind, and the butterfly's finished._

_Mai. I know she's flying on butterfly wings. Everything's okay now, but I think she's having a hard time adjusting to having real friends. She's said she was alone so many times before, and she never talks about her life before we knew her. Like, in Duelist Kingdom, when she kept saying things like the only person she could trust is herself. It's different now, I think, but even still. If she gets hurt one more time, her flying days could be over. She might end up spending the rest of her life stuck on the ground, afraid to fly again because her wings might make her fall._

_Serenity. She may be Joey's sister, but she's nothing like him. She takes things so seriously. Everything's going well for her so far- she can see again, she's with her brother, and she got to see him dueling. But what if, now that she can see, she discovers that there are a lot of things in this world that you're better off_ not _seeing? What if she learns that not everyone is as considerate as she is, and not everyone is kind? And if Joey's wings fail him and his dream gets dashed in the dirt, I wouldn't be surprised if she drops right with him, just because she looks up to him so much. That's got to be hard for Joey- having to look out for yourself and make sure you don't let your sister see you fall. If Joey falls, Serenity probably won't have any faith in herself anymore._

_And the Spirit of the Puzzle- Yami, I mean. When this whole thing started, when Yugi had me talk to him, he was so worried. His task is really hard- I mean, this is the whole world we're talking about! Plus, I think he's really afraid not only that he might lose, but that he might get Yugi into something dangerous. He really takes his role as 'protector' seriously. If something happened to Yugi, he'd never forgive himself. His wings would be torn, and if a butterfly's wings are torn, they never fly again._

_Speaking of which..._

_Yugi._

_His position is the most fragile of all. He's got the most delicate wings and the hardest wind. He's trying to protect everyone else, when he's the one who needs protection. His goal is basically like Yami's- he's got to help save the world and all. But Yami's prepared for this- he was a Pharaoh, and he's done this before. Yugi hasn't, and even though he'd never say anything about it, this has to be so hard for him. He's got the fate of the world that he's trying to carry, and he's more willing to be blown out of the air and take the fall then let anyone else have that fate. But he can't protect everyone! He's too trusting and too selfless- his wings are so easily torn. And his winds are so violent. I mean, I've got, what, ballet class, Joey's got a tournament, Bakura has a Millennium item, and Yugi has the greatest evil ever to appear on the planet in 5000 years. Seem a little unbalanced? He's such a small butterfly, trying to fly through a hurricane with all the rest of us chained to his wings._

Téa sighed, watching the butterfly try over and over again to stay in the air and get off the ground for good. _Butterfly wings may hold us for now, but what happens when we fall?_

She looked away from the struggling monarch, not wanting to see when it finally did succumb to the heavy winds. She leaned back in the chair, balancing on the two rear legs and staring at the ceiling.

A loud gust of wind startled her, blowing her hair back from her face as it entered the open window. Téa squeaked as she began to lose her balance, arms flailing wildly as the chair wobbled and tilted. _Dang it, this is going to hurt,_ she screamed silently as the chair began to fall. She shut her eyes tightly...

...and felt a hand on her back. "Téa? Something wrong?" She opened her eyes, and Yugi's worried face swam into view. "You almost fell over. Are you okay?"

"Maybe all the cleaning fluid's gone to her brain," came a teasing voice. Joey came up next to Yugi, helping his friend push the chair upright. The legs hit the floor with a thud.

"Be nice, Joey,": scolded Serenity, entering also, followed be Tristan and Bakura.

"Yes, ma'am," Joey joked, flicking water from the desk at his sister. Serenity squealed and threw something wet into her brother's face.

"Really, Téa. Are you okay?" Bakura asked, echoing Yugi's earlier words.

"I'm fine, guys," Téa said, giving them an unconvincing smile. "What are you doing here anyways? You don't have Work Study."

"Yeah, but you do," said Mai. She walked into the room, untying her long blonde hair and letting it fall down her back. 

"I'm well aware of that," growled Téa. She stood up. "I have to clean a couple other rooms today, so if you guys..."

"No, you don't," Tristan said, grinning widely.

Téa stared at him. "Yes, I _do_," she said sharply, speaking slowly as if Tristan were a bit off in the head. "I have to do the-"

"No, you don't," contributed Mai with a smirk.

"Yes, I do!" Téa said, losing patience with her friends.

"No, you don't. We did it already," Joey said, flashing her a grin as he finally managed to peel the wet rag off his face. 

Téa was about to retort when the meaning of the words hit her. "You did?" she whispered.

"Yes," Bakura confirmed with a nod. "It's the day before the weekend. You should be able to get out of here when we all do."

"It was Yugi's idea," Serenity said loyally, scooting closer to Yugi, who blushed brightly.

Téa was speechless. _They did my job for me?_

"So what d'you say, Téa? Want to blow this Popsicle stand?" Joey teased, throwing the rags into the bucket.

Téa nodded. "Thank you, guys. Especially you, Yugi. I don't know how you managed to get those guys to clean without threatening bodily harm." 

Yugi grinned. "Well, it took a bit of persuasion."

"And the promise of a large pizza," chimed in Bakura with a smile on his face. Yugi laughed, as Mai and Serenity snorted with held-back giggles. Tristan and Joey shot them offended looks; neither paid any attention.

"But it's done," finished Joey, looking slightly disgruntled. "So we going or what?"

"Hold on, guys. I want to check something." Téa peered out the window once more.

She felt a sudden smile blossom across her face. The single monarch she had been watching was still fluttering, but it had merged with a cloud of other butterflies. The orange insects were flying in a close formation, staying within inches of each other. A gust of wind blew, and butterflies careened into each other, but lost no altitude.

_They really_ are _like us,_ Téa thought softly, smiling as she watched. _Just like Yugi and the others caught me when I was about to fall, the butterflies band together and fly with each other, instead of alone._

"Téa! You coming, or what?" Tristan's voice echoed from down the hall.

"Be right there!" Téa called back. She looked once more at the orange cloud of wings.

"Ready?" Yugi was waiting for her.

Téa nodded. As she followed her friends, she finished her thought. _As long as we stick together, we can catch each other, no matter how fierce the wind. The wings aren't what make us strong- it's the other butterflies._ She let out a happy sigh. _We're flying on butterfly wings, and that's how I like it._

***

^_^

*sees people staring at her*

What? Well, _I_ like it!

This one's been floating in my head for a while. Maybe now that it's out, I can get some more ideas. 

Please review! I hope you liked it! 

^_^

-From Mittens no Hikari


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